Watching the dance
by Mamfa Oz
Summary: Told from Emily's POV. Her thoughts and observations on Cal and Gillian and their relationship. Up to 3x05


Emily's POV, one shot. Don't own them, if I did they would be together already.

I'm not completely happy with this story, but I hope you guys enjoy it anyway. Perhaps I will revisit further down the road and re-write it.

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I could never understand why Gillian and my dad always held back from being more then best friends. When Gillian first became a part of our lives I could tell that Mom wasn't happy about it. At night when they thought I was asleep I could hear them argue about Dad quitting his job and why he felt the need to ask another woman to become his partner, especially someone that he had only just met.

Gill was always happy and smiling, I could talk to her about anything and she never made me feel like a silly kid. I loved Gill, although I would never tell Mom that. In some ways it felt like I was being disloyal if I preferred to spend more of my time with Gill then my own mother, but the older I got the harder it was to be around my Mom. Don't get me wrong I love her, but sometimes it felt like work was more important then our family. If I wanted help with something, I knew from a young age that I was better off going to my father then my mother. Dad would do anything for me; drop everything for me, where as Mom would sometimes make it seem like it was an inconvenience, especially if she was working on a big case. Even Gill would help out if I called her, which the older I got the more I did. When I first got my period it was Gill that I turned too, Mom was spending more and more time at the office and it isn't exactly the type of thing that you can talk to your Dad about with ease. Even talking to Gill about boy's and friends was easier then talking to either my Mom or my Dad, although our conversations were often quick due to Dad almost always being around and wanting to know what was going on.

The older I got the more I started paying attention to the way Dad and Gill were around each other and how different they were with their relevant spouses. Dad and Mom were fighting more and more, although they tried to make sure I didn't really know what was going on. It wasn't hard to pick up on the tension that always seemed to hang in the air at home. In some ways I was glad when Dad told me they were going to split up. I was sad that I wouldn't get to see my Dad every day, but glad that he might have a better chance at happiness without my Mom. At least I could call him up whenever I wanted. I knew that Gill would help take care of him when I couldn't; she promised me not long after my parents split up that she would and Gillian Foster always keeps her promises.

Alec was nice but he always seemed nervous whenever all of us were together. Gill loved him, which was obvious by the way she smiled at him and stuck close to him when he was around, but there was something that didn't feel right to me. When Gillian and Alec adopted Sophie I was so happy for her, Dad and I visited most weekends and it was great to see how happy she was. Even Alec seemed to lose some of his nerves, smiling and interacting more. It hurt to see how crushed they were after she was taken away, Gillian looked like her whole world had fallen apart, which I guess it had. At least she had Dad and Alec to lean on though. I was sad to hear that Gill was getting a divorce, I was never told what happened, Dad said it wasn't important only that she needed us to be there for her.

Slowly Gill started to visit more and more, having dinner with us on weekends. It was good to see her relax, and I loved watching their interactions. I know that Dad isn't too keen on me learning his science, he hasn't ever said anything to me directly but I think that he would prefer I go into something different as a carer. You can't help it though, learning to see what he see, reading people. When Dad and Gill were together I tried to pay attention to their expressions and body language, taking what I have picked up from listening to Dad and what I read in his books. I could see how closely they watched each other, and when they talked they would get just a hint of a smile on their faces. If Dad was in a bad mood and I wasn't able to cheer him up I would call Gill and she would pay a 'surprise' visit. It wouldn't take long before he started smiling again.

Sometimes I wished they would just get together, they made each other so happy and they were both single. I asked Dad once if he loved Gillian, he was a bit shocked by the question I think, and mumbled a non-answer. I'd drop hints every now and then but either they didn't pick up on what I was saying or the ignored it. I cornered Dad one day about his feelings; he said that she was his best friend and that they weren't like that. Perhaps there weren't but it didn't stop the jealousy from occurring when Dad found out that Gill had a boyfriend. Gill was a little more restrained, although I could tell that she was uncomfortable when there was another woman that Dad was interested in hanging around, like Clara. It didn't stop her from being friendly towards Clara though, Gillian Foster has class, and she makes her point know without needing to lower herself.

A few months ago things changed though. Gillian stopped coming around and it seemed like there was something going on with Dad. Normally he and I talk about everything, but it felt like I was only getting part of the story. I wish I knew what happened, I missed having Gill around. Thankfully things are starting to get back to normal, though it is slow going. Dad still won't tell me what is going on so I have had to keep my eyes and ears open. Watching the push and pull that they do, sometimes in step with each other, sometimes going against each other, sometimes moving away from each other, it's like a dance. A dance that only they know the steps to and no one else is able to learn. No matter what though, I hope that it is a dance that will continue for a long time to come.

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